Atopic Dermatitis and Petroleum Jelly

Skin, nail and hair health
1

Hi, so I'm 15 years old and I have had Atopic Eczema for my whole life, and a few years

ago my Dermatologist told me to use Vaseline on my skin as a moisturizer, and I have

but recently my family has been saying that Vaseline is bad for my skin because of all of

the chemicals it has in it, and I was wondering if this is true, and if I should ask my

Dermatologist for an alternative?

2

Hi ari85609, the question is rather: Does the vaseline help you?

There is little point in distrusting the advice of your dermatologist because of something your relatives said. There is even less point in asking strangers on the internet and trusting their advice over that of your close family. 

Some people think that alternatives like shea butter or jojoba oil are better. Well, it might work for them. But on the other hand, many people are allergic to these natural waxes and oils. 

Vaseline contains only semi solid hydrocarbons that are relatively inert and don't oxidise (or go rancid like oils). It does not contain any preservatives or perfumes. That's why it is well tolerated especially by patients with dry and sensitive skin. 

If petroleum jelly works for you in creating a barrier on your skin and moisturising then you might as well stick with it. 

 

3

Hi

i would use cetraban as a moisturiser,  I would go back to the doctor and see if he/she  what they advise. 

4

Just for your reference, Cetraben cream contains

Main ingredients:

White soft paraffin (13.2%)

Light liquid paraffin (10.5%)

Other Cetraben Cream ingredients:

Emulsifying wax (free from SLS)

Cetostearyl alcohol

Glycerol

Phenoxyethanol

Citric acid monohydrate

Trisodium citrate dihydrate

Purified water

So the main ingredient is again petroleum jelly.  It contains other ingredients that are likely to make the cream easier to apply to skin.

If you are not allergic to any ingredient then this moisturiser might work very well for you. But then the formulation also requires preservatives (e.g. Phenoxyethanol). 

 

5

If vaseline works for you then carry on using it.I used it but now use emulsifying ointment as I find it better and also cheaper.I stopped using steroid cream over 2 years ago as this is more damaging to skin than anything.

6

Hi there are a lot of other moisturizers out there. I am using Puriya Mother of all Creams but there are also ones like Eucedrin Eczema relief. What did you end up doing?